Diet right

The easiest eating plan ever

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Life can be needlessly complicated. Why must you fill out a bazillion forms to see your doctor for five minutes? Why must you press 0#0#0#0# to get a real human on the phone at your bank? And why can’t you eat what you like without analyzing every forkful? Here’s a better idea: Stop stressing. Follow these simple rules for getting a healthy, slim body without agonizing over a single bite!

Eat breakfast

When you wake up, whether you’re hungry or not, and even if you are suffering from eater’s remorse from the night before, have breakfast. Research shows that people who eat breakfast are up to half as likely to be obese or have heart disease as those who don’t. A study in the journal Lancet tracked 2,900 men and women, ages 18 to 30, for a decade, and found that breakfast eaters wind up consuming fewer calories overall and less saturated fat and cholesterol throughout the day than breakfast skippers. “Breakfast helps regulate blood sugar and insulin—which reduces the likelihood of overeating,” says study coauthor Linda Van Horn, Ph.D.

Bonus benefit You’ll strike vitamin gold. Think about it: In the morning, you are much more likely to go for something healthy, such as cereal with milk and fruit, than chips or pizza. That’s why people who rise and dine tend to take in more iron, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D than those who rise and rush, then eat later.

Strategy for success For maximum energy, shoot for a high-fiber, calcium-rich meal of protein, fruit and whole grains. “Oatmeal with skim milk and berries hits high marks on the nutrient front, without adding saturated fat, cholesterol or salt,” Van Horn says. Or try a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread with skim milk, or scrambled egg whites on whole-grain toast with an orange.

Splurge

Consider this a permission slip—tear it out if you need to. SELF hereby decrees that [insert your name here] may eat a serving of yummy stuff when desired, and after indulging in aforementioned yummy stuff, [your name] shall not feel guilty. “Deprivation never works, because you always crave what you’re missing,” says Dee Sandquist, R.D., of Portland, Oregon, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Have an occasional treat, and get the real deal. Don’t buy diet ice cream. You’ll enjoy the real thing more, feel more satisfied and be less likely to overeat.”

Bonus benefit A healthier ticker. Often, full-flavored foods have more nutrients than lighter versions. For example, a pint of Guinness has 2.5 fewer calories, more vitamin B and more cancer-fighting antioxidants than, say, Budweiser.

Strategy for success Moderation is key, but if you overindulge, don’t sweat it. “Guilt often leads to more overeating,” Sandquist says. So instead of feeling like a porker, make a plan to break the cycle. “Go for a walk. Go to bed. Hit the showers and say, ‘Oh, well. I’ll do better next time,'” she says.

Mix it up

Your system will work at its optimum level if you make a point of consuming carbohydrates, protein and fat at every meal. Each macronutrient has its own individual and group charm: Carbohydrates (including fruit, veggies and grains) provide instant energy and fiber; protein enhances your immune system, transports oxygen to your muscles and helps your carb-fueled energy last longer; satiating fat helps your body absorb certain vitamins in everything else you eat.

Bonus benefit Adding protein to a carb-rich meal can help you lose weight. A dish with carbs, protein and fat (salad greens with chicken) can help you feel full, as well as boost your calorie burn more than eating a mix of only carbs and fat. That’s because protein takes more work to break down, so it revs metabolism slightly and burns off some of the food you’re eating, says SELF contributing editor Joy Bauer, R.D.

Strategy for success Make three lists: your favorite fruits and veggies, whole grains and proteins. Tack them on the fridge. “You don’t have to worry about getting enough fat,” Bauer says. “It comes along for the ride during prep or in dressings.”

Eat your colors

Sorry, Skittles don’t count, but eating the recommended 2 cups of fruit and 2? cups of veggies a day reduces your calorie intake (they average 100 calories per cup) and enhances immunity, says David Heber, M.D., director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and author of What Color Is Your Diet? (Regan Books). “The colors in fruits and vegetables come from phytonutrients; each shade safeguards a different organ,” he says. For example, the lutein in greens protects your peepers; lycopene-packed red tomatoes help shield the heart.

Bonus benefit Eat your blues and purples and you could win So You Think You Can Dance? at age 70. “As you age, your brain loses the ability to make neurons—which affects motor coordination,” says James Joseph, M.D., director of the neuroscience lab at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. “Some decline is reversible if you eat blueberries and drink purple grape juice. Their flavonoids help the brain form new neurons, which can improve coordination,” he says.

Sleep more

Skimp on sleep and not only do your eyelids become as puffy as pillows, your body might, too. When you’re tired, you produce more ghrelin, a hunger-triggering hormone, and less leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone. “That’s why sleep-deprived people have bigger appetites and crave sweet and salty snacks,” says James Gangwisch, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. In a study of more than 8,000 adults, he found people between ages 32 and 49 who slept five hours a night were 60 percent more likely to be obese than those who slept seven hours. “Besides changing your appetite, lack of sleep can cause irritability and stress, which often lead to overeating,” he says.

Bonus benefits You’ll be richer and more worldly. How often do you grab a latte because you’re pooped? Let’s say you spend $3.50, five days a week. That’s $910 per year, plus tips. Last we checked, that’s roughly enough to buy two round-trip tickets from New York City to Paris. So which would you rather do? Sip overpriced coffee in your cubicle or café au lait on the Champs Elysées? (Incidentally, if you saved those 200 calories every workday, you’d also lose nearly 15 pounds in a year.)

Strategy for success Turn off the computer. Research shows that Web surfing at night impedes shut-eye. And exercise early. It takes six hours to cool down; the more chilled out your body is, the easier it is to fall asleep.

Go slowly

A little reminder: Nobody is going to take away your food before you’re finished. The chicken on your plate isn’t going to fly the coop. Taking smaller forkfuls and chewing each bite thoroughly are simple ways to lose weight, says Julie Meyer, R.D., of Brooklyn, New York. Surely you’ve heard the 20-minute rule, but it’s worth repeating: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full and signal that it’s time to stop. “If you slow down, you’re less likely to overeat,” Meyer says.

Strategy for success Yes, put your fork down between bites, but also arrange your food nicely on a pretty plate, use a cloth napkin, and sit down in a comfortable chair. “If you make eating an event, you’ll become more mindful of the flavors and textures of the foodéwhich encourages you to savor every bite,” David says.

Graze

Never allow yourself to get to the point where you feel that if you do not get a bucket of food fast, you are going to fall over, gnaw on the corner of your desk or stab someone in the eye with your Jimmy Choo. “If you let yourself get overhungry,” Sandquist says, “you’ll overeat.” The alternative: Snack smartly between meals, or sub five or six smaller (300 to 350 calories) meals for three big ones. Research shows that eating more often will reduce your appetite.

Bonus benefit You’ll kick your aspirin habit. “Headaches and irritability are often caused by a blood sugar deficit,” Bauer says. “Eating every few hours keeps blood sugar stable.” Grazing can also lower cholesterol, as long as you keep portions small, according to David Jenkins, M.D., Canada research chair in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Toronto, who explains that when blood sugar is steady, the liver produces less cholesterol.

Unplug

Would you be willing to ditch Desperate Housewives and take a pass on Deal or No Deal if doing so helped you lose weight? Women who watch three to five hours of television a day increase their risk for obesity by 70 percent, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Even catching back-to-back Law & Order reruns—two hours—ups your risk by 23 percent. The connection? Studies show that couch potatoes eat more sweets, red meat and refined carbohydrates, and fewer fruits and veggies, than TV teetotalers. “When people are watching television, they’re not watching what they’re putting into their mouths,” says Katherine Tucker, Ph.D., professor of nutritional epidemiology at Tufts University.

Bonus benefit You burn more calories eating or sitting just about anywhere but in front of the television. Research shows that when you watch TV, you are, metabolically speaking, two steps short of dead (with sleep in between). You use up more calories when you’re stuck in traffic or scratching your butt than when you vegetate while watching another episode of Judge Judy.

Strategy for success Downgrade to basic cable. TiVo your favorite programs so you can save time by skipping the ads. Or, if your partner or child always has the boob tube on as background, invest in TV-B-Gone ($15; TVBGone.com), a key chain remote that can stealthily turn off any set from up to 50 feet away. With all your newfound free time, go shopping for new, smaller clothes!